1 On the purraahuti, or libation of a spoonful of ghee, see part i, p. 302 note. According to Katy. Sr. XV, 1, 4 seq., ksv. Sr. IX, 3, 2, and other authorities, this full-offering is preceded by the Pavitra (purificatory ceremony), a Soma-sacrince with four dikshas or initiation days (? commencing on the first day of the bright fortnight of Phalguna), serving as the ordinary opening offering (anvarambhawiyesh/i). That it formed part of the ceremonial at the time of the composition of the Brahmawa there can be little doubt (cf. Pa^av. Br. 18, 8, 1), but as it is an ordinary Agnish/oma, the author had no reason to refer to it.
2 I. e. the approval or favour of the deities, personified, — Accord- ing to Yag-mka Deva (to Katy. Sr. XV, 1, 8), the ceremonies now beginning would commence on the 10th day of the bright half of Phalguni ; the fifth day's ceremony from this day, viz. the first of the four seasonal offerings, having to be performed on the Full- moon of that month; see p. 47, note 1.
V KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAtfA, 3. 43
(sruva) \ They take a firebrand from the Anvahar-
yapa^ana (or southern) fire, and therewith go south-
ward. And where he finds a self-produced hollow 2
or cleft, —
3. Having there made up a fire, he offers with
(Va^*. S. IX, 35), ' This, O Nirrzti, is thy portion :
accept it graciously, hail!' For Nirmi is this
(Earth) ; whomsoever she seizes upon with evil, him
she seizes upon with destruction (nirrzti) : hence
whatever part of this (Earth) is of the Nirrzti nature,
that he thereby propitiates ; and thus Nirrzti does
not seize upon him, while being consecrated. And
the reason why he offers in a self-produced hollow or
1 The authorities of the Black Ya^-us prepare therewith a cake on one kapala. Taitt. S. I, 8, 1.
2 Saya^a, perhaps rightly, takes 'iriTza' here (and on Taitt. S. vol. ii, p. 6) in the sense of ' ushara/ a spot of barren (or saline) soil. Cf. VII, 2, 1, 8 : 'In whatever part of this (earth) there is produced (of itself) a cleft, or in whatever part of it plants are not produced, verily that part of it Nirr/ti seizes upon/ — Kausika-sutra XIII, 28 (A. Weber, Omina und Portenta, p. 386) recommends the following propitiatory rites in case of a sudden cleft in the ground : ' If in the village, or house, or lire-house, or meeting-place, (the ground) should burst open, four cows are got ready, a white, a black, a red, and a one-coloured one. For twelve days he puts down the butter, milked together from these. In the morning of the twelfth, having made up a fire north of where there was that cleft, having swept and sprinkled it, and strewn sacrificial grass around it ; and having mixed (the butter) with ghee from the white (cow), and addressed it (the spot) with the three verses, Ath.-veda XII, 1, 19-21 (" Agni is in the earth, in the plants, the waters carry Agni, Agni is in the flints, Agni is within men ; in cows, in horses are Agnis," &c), and touched it, let him then offer. In the same way on the south side; in the same way on the western side. Having concluded on the north side, let him offer with the (formu- las addressed) to Vastoshpati (the tutelary genius of the dwelling). Having poured the refuse in the cleft, and completed the oblations, he sprinkles the cleft with lustral water.'
44 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAiVA.
cleft, is that that much of this (earth) is possessed with Nirrzti.
4. They then return (to the sacrificial ground)
without looking backward. He now proceeds with
the cake on eight potsherds for Anumati. For
Anumati is this (Earth) ; and whosoever knows to
do that work which he intends to do, for him indeed
she approves (anu-man) thereof: hence it is her he
thereby pleases, thinking * May I be consecrated,
approved by that (genius of) approval ! '
5. And as to why it is a (cake) on eight pot-
sherds,— the Gayatri consists of eight syllables, and
this earth is Gayatri. And as to why he offers of
the same sacrificial food 1 both (oblations) : thereby,
indeed, both of it comes to be this latter one (viz.
Anumati, or approval). A garment is the sacrificial
fee for this (offering) : for even as one clad in a gar-
ment does not venture into the forest, but having
deposited that garment (somewhere) escapes (robbers),
in like manner no assault befalls him while being
consecrated.
6. And on the following day he prepares a cake
on eleven potsherds for Agni and Vishnu, and
offers it in the same way as the (regular) ish/i : this
indeed is just what that approved initiation-offering
to Agni and Vishnu is there 2. Now Agni is all the
deities, since in Agni one offers to all deities ; and
Agni forsooth is the lower end, and Vishnu is the
upper end : ' May I be consecrated, after thus en-
compassing all the deities, and after encompassing
1 Though he has offered twice (to Nirrz'ti and Anumati), he has only once taken out rice for oblation.
2 Viz. at the ordinary Soma-sacrifice ; for the Diksha/ziyesh/i, see part ii, p. 12.
V KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 3 BRAHMAiVA, 8. 45
the whole sacrifice ! ' thus he thinks, and hence there
is a cake on eleven potsherds to Agni and Vishmi.
Gold is the sacrificial fee for this (offering) ; for to
Agni belongs this sacrifice, and gold is Agni's seed.
As to Vish/zu, he is the sacrifice, and Agni forsooth
is the sacrifice : nevertheless this is Agni's alone,
therefore gold is the fee.
7. And on the following day he prepares a cake
on eleven potsherds for Agni and Soma, and offers
it in the same way as an (ordinary) ish/i, for it was
thereby Indra slew VWtra, and thereby he gained
that universal conquest which now is his. And in
like manner does this (king, the Sacrificer) thereby
slay his wicked, hateful enemy, and in like manner
does he gain the victory. * May I be consecrated,
when safety and security from evil-doers have been
gained ! ' thus he thinks : hence there is a cake on
eleven potsherds for Agni and Soma. For this
(offering) a bull set at liberty is the sacrificial fee;
for yonder moon * they slay while setting him at
liberty 2 : to wit, by the full-moon offering they slay
him, and by the new-moon offering they set him at
liberty ; — therefore a bull set at liberty is the fee.
8. And on the following day he prepares a cake
on twelve potsherds for Indra and Agni, and offers
it in the same way as an (ordinary) ish/i. Now when
1 On the identification of Vr/tra with the moon (and Soma), see I, 6, 3, 17. On the moon serving as food to the gods, see part ii, Introduction, p. xiii. According to a later conception, one kala (or sixteenth part of the moon's disc) was taken off each day during the period of the waning, and again added to it during the period of the waxing moon.
2 Utsarg-am . . . ghnanti; perhaps the former has to be taken here as infinitive (in order to set him at liberty) rather than as gerund.
46 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAtfA.
Indra slew Wztra, that vigour and energy of his went
out of him, being frightened : by this offering he
again possessed himself of that vigour and energy.
And in like manner does this (Sacrificer) by this
offering possess himself of vigour and energy ; for
Agni is fiery spirit, and Indra is vigour and energy:
' May I be consecrated, having embraced both these
energies ! ' thus he thinks : hence there is a cake on
twelve potsherds for Indra and Agni. A bull is the
fee for this (offering), for by his shoulder he is of
Agni's nature1, and by his testicles he is of Indra's
nature : therefore a bull is the fee for it.
9. Thereupon he performs the offering of first-
fruits2; for verily he who performs the Ra^asuya
secures for himself (the benefits of) all sacrificial
rites, all ish^is, even the spoon-offerings ; and insti-
tuted by the gods, in truth, is that ish/i, the Agra-
ya/zesh# : * May this also be offered by me ! May I be
consecrated by this (offering) also ! ' thus he thinks,
and therefore he performs the offering of first-fruits.
Moreover, it is for the plants that he who is conse-
crated, is consecrated ; therefore he now makes the
plants healthy and faultless, thinking, ' May I be
consecrated for (the obtainment of) healthy, faultless
plants (crops) ! ' A cow is the fee for this (offering).
10. Thereupon he performs the Seasonal offer-
ings3; for verily he who performs the Ra^asuya
secures for himself (the benefits of) all sacrificial
1 Cp. 1, 1, 2, 9, '(Like) fire, verily, is the yoke of that cart: hence the shoulder of those (oxen) that draw it becomes as if burnt by fire.'
2 For the Agraya^esh/i, see part i, p. 369 seq.
8 For the four ^aturmasya (enumerated in the next chapter), see part i, p. 383 seq.
V KANDA, 2 ADHYAYA, 4 BRAHMAiVA, 2. 47
rites, all ishris, even the spoon-offerings ; and insti-
tuted by the gods, in truth, is that sacrificial rite, the
Seasonal offerings : ' May these also be offered by
me ! May I be consecrated by these (offerings) also !'
thus he thinks, and therefore he performs the
Seasonal offerings.
Fourth Brahmajva.
1. He offers the Vaii'vadeva1 (All-gods offer-
ing) ; for by means of the Vairvadeva, Pra^apati
created abundance (of food) and creatures, thinking,
* May I be consecrated, after creating abundance and
creatures ! ' And in like manner does this (Sacrificer)
now, by the VaLrvadeva, create abundance and crea-
tures, thinking, * May I be consecrated, after creating
abundance and creatures ! '
2. He then offers the Varu^apraghasa^2; for
by means of the Varu/zapraghasa^ Pra^apati delivered
the creatures from Vanma's noose, and those crea-
tures of his were produced healthy and faultless :
* May "I be consecrated for healthy, faultless crea-
1 This, the first of the Seasonal offerings, is to be performed on the full-moon of Phalguni, the other three then following after intervals of four months each. During these intervals the ordinary fortnightly sacrifices are to be performed from day to day in this way that either the Full-moon and New-moon sacrifice are per- formed on alternate days, or the former on each day of the bright fortnights, and the latter on each day of the dark fortnights. Thus, according to Aw. Sr. IX, 3, 6 ; while Katy. XV, 1, 18 allows only the latter mode. The final Seasonal offering, or *Sunasirya, which ordinarily is performed a twelvemonth after the VaLrvadeva, or on the full-moon of Phalguna, is on the present occasion to be performed just a year after the opening sacrifice, or Pavitra (p. 42, note 1), i. e. on the first day of the bright fortnight of Phalguna, being immediately followed by the Pa#/$avatiya.
2 See part i, p. 391 seq.
48 SATAPATHA-BRAHMAATA.
tures ! ' he thought. And in like manner does this
(Sacrifice!*) now, by the Varimapraghasa/£, deliver the
creatures from Vanma's noose, and those creatures
of his are produced healthy and faultless : ' May I be
consecrated for healthy, faultless creatures ! ' so he
thinks.
3. He then performs the Sakamedha/^1; for by
the Sakamedha/£ the gods slew Wztra, and gained
that universal conquest which now is theirs. And
in like manner does this (Sacrificer) thereby now slay
his wicked, hateful enemy ; and in like manner does
he gain the victory, thinking, * May I be conse-
crated, when safety and security are gained ! '
4. He then performs the 6\inasirya2, thinking,
' May I be consecrated, having encompassed both
essences!' Thereupon the Pa#/£avatiya3 (obla-
tion to the five winds). Having poked the Ahava-
niya fire asunder into five parts, he offers, cutting
out butter with the dipping-spoon.
5. He offers in the forepart (of the fire), with (Va£\
S. IX, 35), 'To the Agni-eyed gods, the east-
seated, hail ! ' He then offers in the southern part
1 See part i, p. 408 seq.
2 See part i, p. 444 seq., where the word is fancifully explained as composed of juna (prosperity) and sira (=sara, sap), — the two essences here referred to. Saya#a, following Yaska (and -Sat. Br. II, 6, 3, 6-8 ?)^ identifies the two component elements with Vayu, the wind, and Aditya, the sun; see part i, p. 445, note 3.